Most Cretans don’t (at least the ones who operate in the tourist areas) preferring to pluck the tourists. One day I paid 550 drachma for a cheese pie that cost me 250 drachma the following day, in the same shop.

Many of the tourist town Cretans were constantly trying to rip you off, and given that you found out the price of a thing after you had eaten it (Greece operates the mainland European way of paying in bars and restaurants) tourists have to be careful.

Of course, even at rip off prices Greece is not as expensive as central London. 550 drachmas is only about £1.

Get out of tourist town and the Greeks can be almost embarrassingly generous. This guy, for example, who we met in the hills just came up to us and gave us fruit because we happen to have stopped the car!

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